I sent a link to my post to John Burroughs asking if I was right in thinking customary international law could be of use in protecting the commons, and he was kind enough to respond:
"Definitely customary international law can serve to protect global commons. Judge Christopher Weeramantry, former vice-president of the International Court of Justice, among others has written about this. See for example: http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/92/7383.pdf You could probably find other writings of his on this subject with internet search. However, where a treaty exists, like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, it’s best to at least begin with that. Nations and publics to a large extent accept treaties as law; less so with customary international law, whose content in a given area is subject to dispute. Customary international law is analogous to common law in US, UK, etc, judge developed law based on customs of the community."
I'll take a look at Judge Weeramantry's writeup and post something about it. Thank you John Burroughs!
#gr8transition #un_goals
